While consumers may access media items, such as movies and television shows, by receiving over the air signals by subscribing to a cable or satellite television provider, increasingly consumers are accessing more and more content over Internet-based systems. Some Internet-based systems allow users to stream content over the Internet to a variety of client devices. For example, a streaming media system may provide content to users via a personal computer, a set-top box, or a personal mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet computer. Streaming media systems enable users to access media content in a stream, such that the users may begin consuming (e.g., watching and/or listening to) content before the entirety of the content is delivered to the user's client device. Such a system allows users to access content while avoiding a potentially lengthy download process.
In order to provide users with satisfying content, operators of a streaming media system may license content and/or develop high-quality original content for its users to consume. This may entail the creation of a substantial library or catalog of content. A user may access individual media items in the catalog through a process of search and/or by a process of recommendation controlled by the system operator. By helping users to find content that correlates well with the users' personal preferences through searches and/or recommendations, the operator of the streaming media system provides value to its users.
However, problems can arise as the operator of the streaming media system includes more and more content and includes multiple libraries or catalogs that correspond with media licenses having jurisdictional limitations. The express and inferred preferences of users in smaller jurisdictions can be drowned out by the preferences of users in larger jurisdictions. This may happen, in part, when recommendations are based on user activity data such as reviewing history. Accordingly, the process of providing users with recommendations is not satisfactory in all respects.
These drawings will be better understood by those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description.